


A Cup Above Mars

by Seonghwa_Nation



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: And Hongjoong ngl, Cafe owner Seonghwa, Everyone is everyone else's protection squad <3, Fluff and Angst, From non-members, Hongjoong has a protection squad too-, Kim Hongjoong is Whipped, Kim Hongjoong-centric, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mingi will join it, No beta reader, Park Seonghwa-centric, Please enjoy this fanfic that has been stuck in my head for months, Shy Park Seonghwa, Speech Disorders, The other 6 members are the best, Yeosang San and Wooyoung are part of Seonghwa protection squad, past bullying, producer kim hongjoong
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seonghwa_Nation/pseuds/Seonghwa_Nation
Summary: Seonghwa knew how to form the words and the idea how to say it. He could imagine himself saying coherent sentences like his friends and being able to talk to people with ease. But instead as he opened his mouth it felt like there was cotton in his brain and he had to push them out to say a simple word or two.In other words, Seonghwa has Broca’s aphasia, a speech disorder in which the person is generally able to process language and formulate sentences but is unable to say it without struggle. It’s as if the connections from the brain to the muscles for language has a cut wire.Hongjoong is a workaholic who is slowly losing traction in his work.The other 6 members can only watch as two worlds, who thought were separate, collide.*10/5 Chapter 5 currently editing**10/5 editing story, fact checking details and trying to proof read better 😫*
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Platonic Yeosang x Seonghwa
Comments: 31
Kudos: 212





	1. Donuts, Chicken, and Jjajangmyeon

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I do not have aphasia, but this has been an idea popping in my head. I want to represent the condition properly, so I’ve been researching everywhere (my textbooks too!) to figure out how to give Seonghwa an accurate portrayal. As time passes and I find better information I may edit Seonghwa’s speech and possibly mannerism to align closer to the condition. Please enjoy the story! 😊 
> 
> \-- Titles of chapters will just be the foods listed in the chapter --
> 
> Please comment and kudo! :)

Chapter 1 

It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon at the café with only a few people sitting inside on their laptops. Seonghwa hummed softly as he didn’t mind slow days every so often. To pass the time he had started to organize the supplies as they started to be spread around the counter. That usually happened when Wooyoung was on a shift and was getting bored. 

While Seonghwa was cleaning up the counter, Yeosang had decided to make himself another cup of coffee. It was probably his 4th cup today. He recalled Yeosang complaining about a new recipe being too time consuming. 

Seonghwa picked up another cup just to notice the clear ring of the bell- an indication someone had opened the café’s main door. 

“Hello, welcome to Cup Above Mars,” Yeosang quickly switched spots with Seonghwa. 

“Yeosanggie,” The man whined. It was Mingi, a regular since the opening of the café. Mingi would usually order a caramel latte with an extra pump of caramel with the daily pastry. Seonghwa liked him, Mingi acted like a younger brother to everyone at the café. Always whining to try a bite of the new pastry but ending up buying a pack of them. The tall man would always shake his head and say it’s not for him.

He wondered what Mingi job was that it didn’t let him consume the pastries as often as he whined. 

“The usual?” Yeosang was already writing the order in the register. 

“Always! But make it an extra-large!” Mingi face scrunched up with a thought. “Also another box of the donuts. I need to bribe my hyung!” 

Seonghwa looked at Mingi and tilted his head to the side. ‘ _Bribe?’_ “B-br…bribe?” He whispered to himself, just loud enough for Yeosang to hear. 

“Are you trying to bribe me for a date? It isn’t happening Song Mingi,” If Yeosang had long hair he would have probably flipped it behind him. 

“No thanks. I’m trying to bribe my hyung who takes my photos. I brought your pastries to him last time and every time I see him, he says to bring it again! I keep forgetting.”

“19.55 Mingi,” Yeosang grabbed the credit card, “Why don’t you just let him know where you got it?” 

“Then he won’t take photos for me!” He whined. Seonghwa thought Mingi looked like a literal kicked puppy.

“Bribe him with chicken,”

“That doesn’t work for everyone!”

“It does—” 

“Yeosangie!” 

Seonghwa decided to tune them out while making Mingi’s drink as this was the usual banter Yeosang did with people. He knew Yeosang ate chicken almost every day yet was so thin. His stomach never expanded out after 2 boxes. The black-haired man was pretty sure Yeosang had at least 2 stomachs. 

“Well bye Yeosang and Seonghwa hyung,” Mingi waved with his characteristic grin. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

The bell rang again as Mingi walked back into his car. 

“…. Hw-hwa hwa…” Seonghwa paused. His mouth was silently shaping a few of the words. “Mingi Job?” 

“He says he does some modeling. Ugh, of course. Six-foot tree who always buys out one item.” Yeosang answered. “We ran out of those donuts again. I think we have to make more of these and less of that muffin.” 

“mm,” Seonghwa nodded in agreement. “Idea hwa hwa… a-agree. Sangie smart!”

“I know I’m smart,” He laughed and lightly punched Seonghwa’s arm. “But don’t forget you’re the genius behind the donuts.” 

Seonghwa stuck his tongue out and laughed along with Yeosang. 

Slow days were to be cherished. 

\--- 

The hours passed quickly as the day started to pick up pace once Mingi left. Seonghwa would be busy making the drinks, checking on the oven, and cleaning up while Yeosang managed the customers, and helped on drinks.

Finally it was 5 pm and the café doors were closed. 

Seonghwa almost threw himself on the closest couch. “ahh….” He signed loudly. It was as if the world knew the day was slow and threw more customers than usual. Not that he hated it, but Seonghwa had been enjoying the slow pace. 

He felt a change in the couch and saw Yeosang face first into the arm of the couch. Seonghwa pushed Yeosang, trying to get the man from having his face all over the couch. “Dirty Sangie!” 

“mmff- I’ll wash mom,” The said man grumbled. “Damn customers asking for a triple shot with stupid ass-“ Yeosang straightened up and mimicked the man. “- organic grass fed only dairy milk with honey locally sourced?” 

“Chicken?” 

“Of fucking course we will have chicken!” Yeosang’s face significantly brightened. “Wooyoung and San messaged the group chat they are bringing the goods in an hour.” 

Seonghwa grinned and decided it was time to get up from the comforts of the couch.

The two zoomed through the café, getting everything neatened up and locking all the doors. They had a system that was perfected after many days of doing the same routine. 

Seonghwa and Yeosang had decided to open a café together after graduating college. Seonghwa had majored in biology but had a passion for baking while Yeosang went for business. It was mostly an impulse idea after a night of drinking and complaining how useless college was. 

He closed his eyes and breathed into through nose, remembering the day vividly. 

“H-heeey,” Yeosang slurred, his body slumped over the table with a glass of wine. Scattered around them was seltzers, beers, and wines- majority empty. “You.. you know. We should to-o-otally do that idea we had in h-high school.” 

“Idea? Hwa con…confused?” 

“I fucking hate this. We studied… studied all our l-lives… And,” If Yeosang was holding a beer he would have crushed the can but instead he was staring at the rosy pink glass of wine as if it had done a crime. “And… and all we h-have.. Is nothing! N o t h I n g! No dream jobs! Just stupid paper!” 

“Hwa Hwa- idea want know!” Seonghwa pouted and took the glass of wine from Yeosang’s hand before he finished it. 

“We should open our dream café! Remember that sketch you did? I still have it. We should… s..should do it!” 

Yeosang opened his phone and showed Seonghwa a photo. 

It was a photo of a faded crumpled paper. The edges were slightly yellow from spilled coffee but the image sketch on there was clear. 

Seonghwa gasped. He had thought Yeosang forgot about that idea as it was only brought up briefly during his counselor meeting. At the time Seonghwa had multiple ideas of what he wanted to do after high school. But his teacher laughed at his face as Seonghwa showed him his notebook with his sketches. He wanted to open a café where he can interact with people and feel free. Instead, he got a teacher ripping the page out of the notebook and crumpling it right in front of his eyes. 

It was at that moment Seonghwa realized trying to dream of possibilities was like trying to fix his problem. 

But Yeosang didn’t have it. When the younger male found out what the teacher did, he stormed up to the faculty room ready to fight. Seonghwa ran behind him and clung tightly. 

“Sangie! S-s-stop!” Seonghwa cried out. “trouble!” 

“It’s okay if I get in trouble! I’m going to make that man into Korean fried chicken! That jackass!” Yeosang was so close to opening the door. His fingers brushed against the entrance multiple times but Seonghwa would grab him harder every time. 

“P…pl..ple..please!” 

Yeosang looked behind him. He heard a soft hiccup from Seonghwa. He knew Seonghwa hated confrontation with a passion. The taller male would rather keep his head down and nod to everything. But Yeosang couldn’t do that. He would usually snap back and use his words like a silver blade. That often got him in trouble, but he couldn’t help himself. 

He couldn’t let Seonghwa be pushed around. 

Not again. 

“Fine…” Yeosang held Seonghwa’s hands gently. “But if he hurts you again, I will do something about it.” 

“ _okay_ ,” 

Seonghwa held Yeosangs hand as they walked back to their shared apartment. A few blocks away lived Yeosang’s boyfriend Jongho. It wasn’t a public fact they were dating. Jongho had wanted to world to know about them but Yeosang slapped him and yelled to think. 

Living a couple of apartments away were Wooyoung and San. They had met the two during university. The four of them shared a dorm and had gotten close to each other. 

Seonghwa for his first year lived in a single but Yeosang decided to rectify that when he enrolled in the same school. Stating he couldn’t let Seonghwa not finally live with him after years of living next door. It “was not the same” and “may never happen again.” Unfortunately, there were no more two people dorms, so the duo was placed with two random people. 

Initially, Seonghwa had stayed silent for the first few months. Yeosang would be his representative whenever they spoke to Wooyoung and San. But the other two didn’t push for Seonghwa to speak nor did they make fun of him for being silent. 

Yeosang was still highly reluctant with them while Seonghwa was starting to warm up. 

It was a week before finals when Seonghwa accidently spoke in front of them. 

“W-woo San p…pretty!” Seonghwa sparked as he saw the two dress up for a night in town. He had quickly realized what he had done and slapped his hands over his mouth. 

San’s eyes widened and his mouth made a small circle. 

Wooyoung screamed his high-pitched crackle. “That’s your voice? Ah- Seonghwa hyung why haven’t you spoken to us ever? I thought you hated us, or you wanted to steal my kidney or something. Or maybe sell us to the black market!” 

The high-pitched man kept rambling on and on while San looked at him. He noticed Seonghwa starting to flush, his normally cool skin turning into a dark red and trembling. 

“Woo,” San held Wooyoung’s upper arm, signaling for him to calm down. 

Wooyoung looked at San then back at Seonghwa. The taller man was slightly trembling, and his eyes was wide as saucers.

Seonghwa couldn’t believe it. After years of not speaking to anyone but Yeosang and his family he had opened his mouth to people he only knew for a few months. He could feel his fingers turning numb and his lungs tightening. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to open his mouth again. It would only turn sour. 

“Hwa Hwa sorry!” He whimpered. It was all that could come out. All that usually was able to come out. His brain was sprinting with words smashed together but nothing could ever come out the way he wanted. He wanted to say so much more than just hwa hwa sorry. Seonghwa wanted to beg them not to tell anyone and that he was sorry he doesn’t talk and was weird. That he would do anything- absolutely anything to keep them from putting any hands on him. 

But instead, he felt like he was in a corner with no Yeosang. Yeosang was too busy, having to take a makeup exam as he was sick a few days prior. With no Yeosang, it meant Seonghwa was alone with Wooyoung and San. His fingers dug into his palm, he could feel the stinging pain of his nails in his skin. 

San stepped closer to him, softly touched his wrists and gently lifted his hands away from each other. “No Seonghwa don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault!” 

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. 

Seonghwa looked away and bit his lower lip. He was confused. At this point it was usually him still begging and on the ground. But instead… San removed his fingers from his skin leaving only whitened crescents.

He felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he gasped for air. It was as if the situation hit him again. 

“Shit shit shit,” San panicked. He had no idea what to do. Seonghwa’s breathing was quickening. “Seonghwa hyung look at me, look at me. I’m not going to hurt you okay? I just… I just want to talk to you. I promise.” 

Seonghwa shook his head. 

“Have I ever lied to you?” He tried to reason. “You know Yeosang will beat anyone up if they hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you. Please hyung.” 

This had continued for a couple of minutes. Wooyoung joined in at one point and they managed to walk Seonghwa to his bed. Finally the three of them were sitting on the bed with Seonghwa in the middle. 

Seonghwa felt so humiliated. First, he opened his mouth then he started to get a panic attack. The day could not get any worse. 

“Hyung… I know you don’t want to tell us… but I swear we won’t judge you. So… if you ever want to tell us what’s wrong…” Wooyoung tapered off. It was the first time he had seen Seonghwa so afraid. Usually the older male was calm and knew what he was doing. 

It took a moment for Seonghwa to decide what to do next. At this point it was already too late to pretend this didn’t happen. He never got this far with other people. Not even Yeosang, because Yeosang already knew everything. Suddenly he had an idea and pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

Wooyoung and San looked at him confused but said nothing. 

Seonghwa started to type- _‘I told this to no one but a few… but…’_

His fingers paused, hovering over the keyboard. How could he state this to people who most likely had no idea what those words meant? Tightening his grip on his phone, Seonghwa continued to type. ‘ _I have a speaking disorder… and I… I… don’t speak often because of it. Actually, I don’t like interacting with people as much because of it. They always want to leave me after they learn… or hurt me. My brain is fine! I’m fine! I’m not some freak…”_

He sniffled. Wooyoung and San immediately hugged him tightly. 

“You’re no freak hyung!” Wooyoung exclaimed. 

“Yeah! You’re an amazing person! We wouldn’t ever judge you for that!” San agreed immediately. 

Seonghwa felt the corners of his lips rise as the duo continued showering him with praises. He swore they didn’t even stop for a breath. It was nice being able to tell them something. 

After that moment, the four of them got closer. Yeosang had come in after the situation calmed down to the three of them asleep on the small twin sized bed. The next day Seonghwa would explain what had happened when he was away. 

The door to their apartment slammed open. 

“We come bearing gifts!” Wooyoung screeched as San kicked the door open. In their hands were plastic bags full of chicken, soda, and beer. The two kicked their shoes off the door and Seonghwa tutted in disapproval. They chuckled embarrassed and fixed their shoes nearly near the wall.

“L-late!” Seonghwa put his hands on his hands and did his best to muster up a disappointed face. 

“Just by 10 minutes~” San sang as he trotted to the kitchen counter to put the bags down. Wooyoung hugged Seonghwa tightly. “Whoops! We were so busy-“

“Having your tongues in each other’s months,” Yeosang interrupted. 

“No! We were busy! For real! I swear!” Wooyoung blew a raspberry at him. 

Yeosang and Seonghwa looked at them with disbelief. It wasn't the first time they arrived late. At least this time they came in fully clothed witht the promised items. More than once they came in still half attached to each other as if they just started dating. 

They decided to not ponder on it and continued to set up the living room for their movie night. Seonghwa and Yeosang didn't need to wake up at 4 am every day because they had hired a part timer to help make some pastries. The part timer only made the simple desserts and bases, and wasn't told how to make the recipes Seonghwa worked hard on. That was Yeosang's call.

On the couch closest to the window sat Seonghwa holding a cup of fries with topping lathered on. Yeosang and Wooyoung shared the large couch. As per usual, Yeosang held the largest box of chicken while San held the smaller box. San sat on the floor between Wooyoung's legs. He looked a bit too comfortable being there. 

"So?" Yeosang threw a piece of chicken at Wooyoung. 

"So?" 

"You said you were late for a reason for once," 

The two late people looked at each other and sighed. Wooyoung crossed his arms and huffed, the chicken in his hands forgotten. “You know my workplace right? I love it! I get to do my passion of dancing while being able to pay the bills. But there are always those moments I want to throw this chicken at them!” He shook the chicken in his right hand hard above his head. 

Seonghwa owlishly blinked, his face staying the same as he was unsure what to say. 

Fortunately Wooyoung kept going. “I’m working on a new project with Yunho. We are supposed to- “supposed to”-“The shorter man continued to use the chicken as air parentheses. “Start a new dance for someone. But!”

This was when San knew to start chugging his beer to hold Wooyoung back with both hands.

A shrill scream echoed the room, coming from the same source. “The jackass making the music said he HAS NO SONG! How am I, Jung Wooyoung, the supposed helper of Yunho, help make ANY dance without some music?”

San hugged Wooyoung and nuzzled his face on Wooyoung’s knee. “Agreed, agreed, the big jackass should’ve let you know beforehand.”

Yeosang continued the eat the chicken in front of him and only bothered to nod at Wooyoung’s predicament. His eyes were starting to get focused on the box in front of San. Seonghwa made a grimace. That didn’t sound like a good situation. He knew Wooyoung was a go getter who liked to perfect things as soon as possible. Clearly the man making the music was throwing a huge wrench to the plan.

“Woo? No music? How Possible?” Seonghwa nudged Wooyoung to get his attention.

“I have no idea,” He groaned. At this point he would rather have the chicken make his music. At least the squawks from the bird would be some sort of sound. “But Yunho said, nooooo Woo Woo don’t get angry at Hongjoong! He is just having a bit of a slump! He’ll have an idea soon! Said over a week ago!”

“You should storm up to that Hongjoong with your voice,” Yeosang snickered as another mouth full of chicken entered. “He’ll probably make it so fast just to get your fat ass out of his office.”

Said fat ass threw the chicken in his hand at Yeosang’s face. “Jerk, you know my ass is great and San knows it!”

“Oh he definitely ate it,”

“Oh my fucking. Bet Jongho doesn’t ea- “

“Wooyoung!”

“Sangie!”

“In front of my chicken?”

The other two erupted in a groan. There couldn’t be one day where Yeosang and Wooyoung bickered over what their significant other did to them. San being the unlucky one would have to hear Wooyoung blab what he did the night before right in front of him.

He would completely forget he would do the same thing to Seonghwa of which telling him their personal lives at night. At the end of the day Seonghwa would hear both sides of the story and get a way to completed story of what the two liked to do at night.

“Fine,” Wooyoung waved his hands up in defeat, “Seonghwa hyung, how was your…” 

Seonghwa knew what the rest of the sentence. Every month or two he would go to a speech therapist to attempt to improve his speech. He used to go every week when he was younger but once he hit high school he stopped. It felt completely useless to him. He would fear opening his mouth to a stranger and didn’t want to risk it. It wasn’t until he finally truly befriended Wooyoung and San he decided to resume going. Not as often- but whenever he found time in his busy schedule.

“Ah,” Wooyoung nodded and reached to hold Seonghwa’s hand. “Better then last time?” 

The oldest smiled, but it looked more like a grimace then a grin.

Honestly, that was how Seonghwa felt whenever he went to his appointments. 

After the slightly dampened turn of the evening, San and Yeosang decided to start a drinking game. Seonghwa got to pick the movie and Wooyoung would scream whenever it was time to take a gulp of alcohol.

The food was demolished quickly. They decided to order more delivery which caused another argument between Yeosang and Wooyoung on what to order. In the end they decided both Chicken and jjajangmyeon.

If only they would just order both at the beginning instead of throwing bits of chicken at each other.

The night continued as so until all four of them passed out of the couches and floor. Right before Seonghwa felt his eyes starting to close, he saw the bright LED clock shining as bright as the television screen.

_1:17…_

_-End of Chapter 1-_


	2. Donuts, Latte, and the Porcelain Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to show both sides for this fanfic! I felt like it was lack luster without completely showing the other party. So please enjoy Hongjoong <3

Chapter 2

Hongjoong was ready to slam his face into the brightly colored keyboard in front of him. Time had blurred for him for the past few weeks. With that meant his sleeping schedule was everywhere. Instead of being at his studio at a normal 8 am, he was sitting at his computer since 8 pm.

Or maybe it was 4 pm.

The blue haired man couldn’t remember anymore.

Deciding against slamming his head face first into the keyboard, he groaned into his hands. His phone was ringing non-stop for the past 10 minutes, instead of picking it up he kicked it under the table as if it would solve his problems.

_Ring Ring ~_

_눈꽃이_ _떨어져요_ _~_ _  
_ _또_ _조금씩_ _멀어져_ _요_ _~_

He knew it had to be Wooyoung based off of the song being blasted from his phone.

Wooyoung had changed his number’s ringtone to a random BTS song. Hongjoong to this date has no idea how the man gotten access to his settings. He swore that his password was on and that it was hard enough that no one could crack it.

Then again Wooyoung had done this to everyone’s phone, even the owner of the company.

 _널_ _보게_ _될까_ _(_ _널_ _보게_ _될까_ _)_ _  
_ _만나게_ _될까_ _(_ _만나게_ _될까_ _)_

Another groan, this time louder than the last.

He rolled his shoulders then moved his head side to side. It was time to face the music. In this case, face the dolphin. Diving under the table, Hongjoong almost hit his head trying to swan dive head first. His phone lit up the dark space like a beacon. Shining was the time, _2:30 pm,_ and a photo of the ocean just as the sun was rising.

 _허공을_ _떠_ _도_ _-_

Before the song got to fully restart, Hongjoong picked up the call quickly. “Hello,”

“ _YAH! HONGJOONG HYUNG YOU LIT-“_ He heard a rustle and some mumbling between two people.

-Yunho and Wooyoung.

 _“Hey Hyung, it’s Yunho. Wooyoung and I have been wondering if there is any luck?”_ Hongjoong could still hear Wooyoung mumbling despite not being on the phone. He swore he could hear some certain choice words about his height and manhood. 

He ruffled his hair and leaned against the wall. Looking up he could see the small dents caused by his shoe under the table. One, he thought, looked like the shape of a heart. Another a shape of a flower. How unexpected.

_“Hyung?”_

Hongjoong blinked, realizing he was still on the phone with Yunho. “A-ah…. I’m…” A hum. “Working on it?”

“ _So nothing huh?”_

_“That fucking Agh!”_

_“Wooyoung!”_

_“What? We’ve been waiting for nearly three weeks with not even an idea!”_

It took another minute or two for them to stop bickering on the other side of the phone. Hongjoong didn’t like being unable to figure out a song. He had been creating multiple songs non-stop for the past two years under KQ Entertainment. But suddenly in the past month his ideas flickered away. It felt like his lightbulb in his head broke and he couldn’t find another replacement.

Nothing had changed.

There was no reason to be in a creative slump.

Hongjoong was single- he didn’t have break up to wallow about. His parents were alive and healthy. He recently got a raise because of his songs getting a few wins on award shows.

Life was the same.

He was the same.

Hongjoong slowly got up from his little corner and plopped himself onto his plush chair. He had the chair since high school. It was his creative chair that he decided to buy with his first paycheck at his boring part time job. It was old with a few threads loose and parts of the leather ripping apart. But this was the chair he sat on during his most creative times.

“Sorry guys,” He started to talk over them. “I’ll... I’ll figure out something okay? Just give me another week.”

“ _You better! Or else I’ll have San round house kick your ass!”_

_“I believe in you hyung! You can do this,”_

The phone clicked, signaling someone on the other line ended the call.

Looking at his phone, Hongjoong stared at the time. _2:42_

Who was San?

Hongjoong decided it was time for a late lunch and picked up his bag from the couch behind him. He kicked the door open and it swung open quickly. A loud scream suddenly blasted into his ear.

“Hyung! Hyung! Are you trying to kill me?”

“Mingi?”

There in front of him was a six-foot man with a bag in one hand and a half-drunk beverage in another. His hair was parted in the middle and was colored vivid purples and greens like the ocean. Resting on his sharp nose was another bright colored glasses larger than his face. His face scrunched up into a pout. “You almost broke my nose Joong hyung.”

“He. Should’ve knew I was going to open it Mingi,”

“That’s an unfair assumption! I clearly knew you were going to open it and that was why I was standing so close to your door!” Mingi shook the plastic bag roughly, “I come with goods! Hyung take photos of me!”

“Who said… whatever,” Hongjoong lazily waved in the general direction of the bag. “Would persuade me?”

“Donuts,”

“Fuck you’re good,”

“It’s because I’m Mingi~ If you forget just remember Princess Minki, Mingi, Minki-“The ocean haired man would’ve continued his common skit but Hongjoong swiped the bag out of his hand. “Hey! You didn’t agree!”

“Fine,”

Mingi squealed happily and his nose crunched up as he smiled. Before Hongjoong knew it, he was being dragged outside to the nearby park a few blocks away from his building.

“You should be glad my camera is in my bag all the time,” Hongjoong grumbled as he ate the donuts one by one. The current one in his hand was his personal favorite. It was a puffy donut with a caramel glaze with iridescent sprinkles. Inside was even sweeter apple jam with chunks that would explode in his mouth with every bite.

The taller man only hummed as he continued to finish his latte to throw it out at the nearby garbage can.

The duo stopped in front of a large tree with the branches hanging low enough Hongjoong could touch the leaves. The tree’s leaves were a bright green reminiscent of Mingi’s green sweater. It smelled heavily of the flowers nearby, the wind strong enough to carry the scent from afar.

Hongjoong shoved the rest of the donuts into his bag and took out his camera gear. There was a patch of dry grass close by which Hongjoong decided to set up everything there. “Couldn’t you have your lover boy take pictures of you later?”

“He’s too busy! Yunho is helping Wooyoung with another dance!” Mingi brushed his hair back to give it more volume then fixed up his sleeves.

“Ah…” Hongjoong replied, feeling a little guilty.

“But that’s why I bought the donuts! So you- Mr. photography man- can take the photos instead,” He bashfully continued. Mingi walked up near the tree and tilted his body, changing some of his arms and legs angles. “How’s this?”

Hongjoong looked through the viewfinder. Mingi was placed left on the screen with the tree’s leaves slightly covering his body as if he were a fairy hiding from the camera. The wind helped sway the branches to give the photo a fantasy look. Mingi’s Green sweater blended with the leaves, but the light coat was a soft tan color. He managed to pop out despite half his clothes blending in.

The park was quiet enough that Hongjoong could hear the camera’s clicking clearly.

Mingi continued to change positions slowly and every so often moved spots around the tree. Hongjoong didn’t need to dictate anything, the taller man knew what angles and poses immediately.

“Hyung, Yunho has been telling me you’ve been struggle to find a sound the past month,” Mingi opened his mouth to talk as they started to wrap up the brief photo session.

“Yeah,” Hongjoong looked at the camera’s screen, pressing the arrow button to see the previews photos. “I don’t know why. Nothing changed. I just suddenly, literally, one day all my ideas died.”

He looked at the tree leaves whistling with the wind. His hair starting to move with it as the wind picked up speed.

Mingi walked up close to him and stared at his face. Hongjoong shifted and touched his face then looked at his finger. “There isn’t any donut on my face, right?”

“Hm…. Maybe it’s because nothing changed!”

“W-what?”

“Nothing. Changed. Hyung! You’re literally living the same life you were the past few years! You need a fresh breath of air! Something to spark your brain!” Mingi spread his arms up with wide eyes and an open mouth. He swished his arms and grabbed Hongjoong’s. “You need to change it up!”

“I kind of like it like this! I don’t want to change!”

“No not you change! But do something new!”

“… that… that isn’t a bad idea…” Hongjoong grumbled. His arms were starting to get tired with Mingi’s constant energy. “But change usually means shit luck for me.”

“Hyung~” Mingi whined. He wanted to help give him ideas. Mingi cared deeply about Hongjoong. The small man had been a crucial part of his adult life. Without him he would have given up his passion in fashion and the arts.

It was a few years back, Mingi had graduated college with a degree he hated. His parents forced him to take business administration, saying it was better then his dumb dream in rapping and fashion. But Mingi loved clothes. He loved the way fabrics would flow and stretch, how to combine them together, and to be the one wearing them.

He didn’t want to take part of the family business. Wasn’t his older brother being part of it enough? Isn’t being the youngest was that the perk was the ability to do his dreams? Clearly it wasn’t as they had a screaming match for days over his future.

It was his future.

But it was actually his parent’s future.

He couldn’t be fully angry at them. The tall man knew deep down his parents were afraid he would fail and end up living on the streets. They would rather rip his dreams if that meant it ensured him future with success.

Mingi knew that.

He was thankful he had his family’s business to just use as a cushion for the rest of his life.

But he still yearned to at least try. To prove to his parents he can make it.

Mingi was wandering around Seoul with his ear buds secured in his ears. His eyes were dazed out as he had been walking the same streets for the past hour.

 _어른들과_ _부모님은  
_ _틀에_ _박힌_ _꿈을_ _주입해_

His phone felt heavy in his pocket as he continued to walk the same road.

 _니가_ _꿈꿔온_ _니_ _모습이_ _뭐여_

Mingi couldn’t answer the questions ringing in his ears. What did he dream of anymore? Were his dreams of his own or was it a made-up story in hopes to break his family’s confines? His long light brown bangs covered the view in front of him.

“Woah!” A voice popped up.

Mingi blinked and brushed his hair to the side. In front of him was a shorter man with bright red hair, a black hoodie with random paint splashes, blue jeans with rips along the knees, and red converses. Next to him was a battered black ball cap with a stitched heart.

He took his ear buds out and let it hang on his neck. Before the wind could take away the hat, Mingi picked it up and handed to the shorter male.

“You’re looking stressed,” The male looked at him.

Mingi knew he looked horrible. His hair was messily in front of his eyes with the roots of dark brown showing and not even blending with the lighter brown. The jacket he was wearing had way too many holes from tripping over air and his jeans were a size too big.

“No shit?”

The male put the hat back on his head and laughed loudly. “You know backwards of stressed is desserts!” He took out something from his bag and shoved it into Mingi’s chest.

“That is a horrible, overused pick up line. Not interested in dudes shorter than me,”

“Wow rude much?” He rolled his eyes and pressed the bag harder.

Mingi tried to nonchalantly grab the paper bag. He opened it and inside was a couple of donuts and muffins. It smelled really good.

He forgot to eat lunch again.

“You can have it! I already had so much and forgot to buy less!”

“My mama said to not accept food from strangers,”

“Well, my name is Hongjoong! Kim Hongjoong! Aspiring music producer, maker, whatever you want to call it! Goal is to write a top song before I die and be known everywhere!” The male, named Hongjoong, puffed his chest like a bird fluffing his feathers.

“Oh?” 

“Oh what? It’s a dumb dream? And? Don’t worry I did some stupid double majoring in music and some business. I’m not even going to lie, I forgot what business major! But I’m going to continue my music no matter what. I’ll show my parents I can make it with my music” The red hair male grinned proudly.

Mingi blinked and his mouth opened dumbly without thinking. He probably looked like the dumbest human just standing there with that face.

From his earbuds buzzed, still playing the same song.

 _눈을_ _눈을_ _눈을_ _떠라_ _다_ _이제_

_Open your eyes now---_

“Hyung you gotta bump into something! Someone!” Mingi clenched his fists and his eyes sparkled.

“Mingi- I’m too busy with work to just casually bump into someone and go oh excuse me sir let me have your number so I can continue on making music!” Hongjoong snorted and crossed his arms.

“I- not like that!” He whined and stomped his feet into the grass. “Hyung you know what I mean!”

“Yeah yeah, but besides that. Because If I continue on this conversation it’ll just go in circles.” Hongjoong opened his bag to pack up his camera but instead took out the bag of pastries, camera left hanging around his neck. “Where! Where do you get this? I swear you changed the bag of the place to a stupid paper bag so I can’t even try to find it!”

“Don’t want to tell you!”

“Tell me now!”

“No!”

“Mingi! Yah!”

“Never!”

“Why not?” Hongjoong shoved the remaining donut in his mouth. It was blueberry with sugary crumbles on top.

“Then you won’t take photos for me anymore. I need something to bribe you,” Mingi sniffled. Clearly a fake sniffle, Hongjoong noted. Mingi loved being over the top with him.

“…” The blue haired man signed is defeat. “I’ll take photos of you still I swear on my title of being your hyung.”

“Really~?” Mingi draped himself over Hongjoong, his face smooshed onto Hongjoong’s cheek.

“Really,”

Mingi pulled his phone, still using Hongjoong as a pillow to rest on, and typed a message. “I sent you the café’s name okay? Don’t forgot your promise Hyung! Mingi will be very very sad!”

“Don’t ever try your aegyo on me,” Hongjoong shivered and looked at his phone.

_A Cup Above Mars_

The letters shined brighter on his screen in comparison to the rest of the messages Mingi sent him.

Mingi gave Hongjoong a tight hug and waved rapidly. “Hyung~ I have to go now! Thanks for the photos! I have to cut this a little short because my manager just messaged me to get my butt over to a location.”

“I’ll send the photos in a few days,” Hongjoong gave a thumbs up and waved back as the tall man briskly ran towards whatever direction he needed to go. “Don’t trip!”

As he saw Mingi’s figure become smaller in the distance, Hongjoong started to type the café’s name in his navigation app. He hit his head on his phone. It was the café just a few blocks away from his building just on the opposite side of the park. He had seen the café a few times during his random walks but never went inside.

He didn’t know why. It was a small café with a bright feeling. Multiple plants scattered near the baby blue entrance with white seats and wooden tables. It looked like a typical cute café were couples can have a date and students can hide in the corner with their laptops.

“… Maybe I’ll go today…” Hongjoong mumbled. His feet were already taking him towards the destination.

It was 3:48, just before the café closed on Tuesday. If Hongjoong walked quickly enough he could make it before it closed.

_3:49…_

_3:52…_

_3:59…_

Hongjoong was gasping for air as the time was getting awfully close to closing, his hand clenched the heavy camera around his neck. He had an idea to take a photo of the exterior of the café, the sun shining on the watered plants was a beautiful sight.

As he looked through the camera, instead of the plants on the viewfinder, he saw a slim face covering half of the screen.

The man had a honey glow with his clear skin. He almost looked doll like with perfect porcelain skin. Hongjoong liked to boast he had amazing skin, but the man’s skin looked too perfect to be human. The jaw line could probably cut him literally- Hongjoong mused.

It had to be a doll he was looking at. His eyes shimmered- literally. Around the eyes was pastel pink and soft reds with small amounts of glitter on the lids. Framing the eyes were long lashes curling slightly upwards. He could see a 3/4 view of the nose. The doll had a straight, strong nose that looked like it could stab Hongjoong’s heart. Trailing lower Hongjoong could see the doll’s lips stretch into a bright smile. His white teeth shining behind plush glossed lips.

He could feel his arms slowly lowering the camera to see the rest of the doll. His eyes only widened even more as his lips opened to let out a gasp. His camera and previous problems were long forgotten as he stared at the figure inside the café.

Hongjoong would swear at this moment the world shifted below him and the man’s body glimmered under the lights.

The doll – human? – looked up and saw him staring. Hongjoong froze and straightened his back. The doll – he couldn’t be human- mouth turned into a small circle and tilted his head. He simply gave a small timid smile with his eyes turning into crescents.

Before the doll turned away, Hongjoong let go of his camera with one hand and gave back an equally small wave which curled up into a small fist on his heart.

_4:03_

There was only 10 feet between them, yet it felt like he would need to step a mile to get closer to the doll like man.

Hongjoong for the first time in his life truly felt like he had no idea what to do.

_~ End of Chapter 2 ~_


	3. Coffee, Scones, and Espresso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa and Hongjoong? Will they finally interact?

Chapter 3

It was raining outside, the droplets falling softly onto the glass of the window. Seonghwa stared at one as it rolled down the panel as slow as the water in the teapot was boiling next to him. There was no thunder rumbling outside and the sun was dimly shining from the distance. He hoped that meant the rain would stop before he would have to go outside. 

He felt a light tap on his left shoulder, it was Wooyoung and San holding their usual mugs. A pastel yellow with baby chicks painted on the bottom for Wooyoung and a dark green mug with cartoon like mountains for San. 

“Coffee~ Hyung~” The two sang, “Woosan needs caffeine to keep my eyes open~” 

“Hmm… smells sweeter than usual here,” 

“Eh? Really?”

The black-haired man chuckled and nodded. The water inside the teapot had been on the stove for a while and steam was rapidly leaving the top. He turned off the stove top and used a small silicon glove to pick up the pot. Usually they would use the coffee maker and it’d be made in a matter of minutes. However, he forgot to buy more coffee grounds on the way home yesterday.

Seonghwa had gotten a little distracted and forgot to let Yeosang know to stop by the market before they went home.

He poured the water into four cups. His cup was a light pink mug with an angry bird giving a thumbs up while Yeosang’s was an ocean blue mug with stars scattered around the lip. Seonghwa knew exactly how everyone liked their coffee. He, personally, enjoyed a sweeter coffee with oat milk. His friends would laugh at him and ask if he was drinking coffee or milk. Yeosang usually would add half a spoonful of sugar and nothing else, saying he is saving his calories for chicken. Wooyoung and San would just share their coffee so they compromised with a splash of milk and half a spoon of sugar.

He looked behind him as he stirred each up with a spoonful of coffee. 

Dancing behind him were the two love birds. Seonghwa knew they had been dating since they knew each other but it was amazing how love struck the two acted with each other. 

“Seonghwa hyung,” The final person of the four finally joined the kitchen. He, unlike everyone else, had changed from their clothes from the night before. Yeosang decided to wear a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his upper arm and dark blue slacks. “We forgot the coffee didn’t we? What kind of café owners are we that we forget coffee! Coffee of all things!” 

Seonghwa snickered and he shoved the mug full of hot coffee into Yeosang’s waiting hands. “Hwa oops! Sangie f-for-forgot!” 

“Hwa oops? You mean a little busy hm?” Yeosang leaned closer to Seonghwa and took a long and intentional loud slurp from his mug. 

“Oops!” 

“Okay Hwa,” 

Seonghwa huffed and rolled his eyes. 

Wooyoung and San trailed behind them as they sat down at the dining room table. The table was wooden with a dark brown staining. Seonghwa had found this table being thrown out by one of his old apartment neighbors and fell in love with it. It had small details at the end of the legs with 8 matching chairs. The table was a bit too big for his current apartment, but he couldn’t bear to throw it out. 

San was leaning the chair back and rocking it every so slightly. Seonghwa grimaced and hoped the younger male wouldn’t fall off the chair- again. No matter how many times he would tell him to stop that habit, San would just laugh and wave him off. 

“Hyung! What’s for breakfast!” Wooyoung asked, his coffee cup lightly pressed on his cheek as he tried to shimmy his body cutely. 

“Ohhhh, Wooyoung’s a mastermind! I completely forgot about breakfast,” San added and kissed Wooyoung’s cheek. 

“Breakfast!” 

“Breakfast!”

The two chanted. Yeosang groaned and glared at the two offenders. “No, you dumbasses. You can make your own breakfast at your own home. We have work in 30 minutes!”

“What! We even got you chicken,” Wooyoung pouted and made chicken sounds. 

“Should’ve woken up earlier!” 

“Mean!” 

Seonghwa continued to finish his coffee as the two bickered again. It was another Wednesday morning, Seonghwa couldn’t recall the last hangout that didn’t have at least one bickering session between Wooyoung and Yeosang. He knew they didn’t bicker as often in college, but it seemed once they started then it became a game on how often they can bicker and for how long. 

Before, he used to try to stop the two before it escalated, but it never did. It would always stop at a standstill and the two laughing at each other’s faces. 

Now he just finishes with whatever he was doing before they started bickering and watches them. 

Once all the cups of coffee were finished, San volunteered to do the dishes as Seonghwa changed for the day and Yeosang got their bags ready. 

Seonghwa’s closet was packed with clothes inside. He enjoyed shopping even if it would be by himself. Sometimes he would just blast music in his ears and let the music dictate what to look at. His fingers brushed against the sleeves of the clothes until he stopped at one. 

The piece of clothing his fingers stopped at was a recent addition to his closet. 

It was a light blue sweater that had the sleeves connected to the body with multiple strings. The day was cool enough to wear a sweater, Seonghwa mused. He turned around to see that the rain finally stopped into a lighter drizzle 

Seonghwa decided to change into the said sweater and black jeans. He changed his earrings to a matching pair that dangled down his ear. A couple more accessories were placed on and he was ready for the day. 

“Bye Seonghwa hyung!” Wooyoung ran up to him to give a tight hug. San decided to take his time and walk to join the hug. 

“Wooyoung will be at work soon!” San promised. 

“Just have to brush up stuff with Yunho and I’ll be there!” 

“T-take time!” Seonghwa shook his head and smiled. He didn’t mind Wooyoung being late as long as he had Yeosang or San at work with him. Before the two left, Seonghwa handed them a small bag filled with cookies. “Made m-morning! Try.” 

“Ahhh! Seonghwa hyung you are the best!” San took the bag of cookies and opened it. His face brightened as he smelled the cookies from the bag. It had explained why the apartment smelled oddly more like sweets. San had just assumed it was the rain causing him to smell things. 

The two put their shoes on and waved quickly as they opened the door. 

“See you soon!”

“Bye bye~” 

“B-bye!” Seonghwa waved back. 

He turned around and gasped. Yeosang was standing right behind him with his arms crossed. “Sangie?” 

“So? What made you so distracted yesterday?” Yeosang shifted his weight closer to Seonghwa and his eyes matched with him. He was so close Seonghwa could smell his shampoo from his brunette locks. “You looked oddly distracted before we left the café.” 

“D-dist..t-tra..ct?” Seonghwa blinked with his wide eyes. “Hwa Hwa not!”

“Seonghwa. Hyung,” The brown-haired man pouted. 

Seonghwa knew Yeosang meant business if he started to pout. However he could only feel his face flush as he remembered yesterday afternoon. 

It was after the café started to pick up, there was now a steady stream of customers unlike how it was an hour ago. He was walking around the sitting area picking up any finished beverages and plates. There were a couple of finished dishes scattered around. Seonghwa stared at one with a small frown. The edge of the plate was chipped. It seemed it was time to replace some of the plates. 

Yeosang had walked up to him, “I’m going to be in the back to check the ovens. You know where to get me if another customer comes in.” 

The black-haired man nodded and proceeded to put the dirty plates hidden behind the counter. He had a few more to pick up before going back to the sink.

He continued to clean up the café until a small child grabbed his pants. The child’s eyes glowed as he stared at Seonghwa and giggled. “Hello!” The child greeted. “The cake was really yummy! My mommy doesn’t let me pick it all the time! But she did! Today!” He giggled and pointed at the half-finished slice. 

“Jimin,” The mother whispered to her son. It was another regular. She had long brown hair usually fixed on top of her head in a bun with multiple strands poking out. Usually, she wore dark pants and a bright blouse whenever going outside to the café but today she was wearing a dress with sunflower prints. Her legs uncrossed to grab the child onto her lap. “Your hands are so sticky! I’m so sorry Seonghwa!” 

Seonghwa shook his head and smiled, his teeth showing through his lips. 

“Mommy! He said it's okay!” Jimin, the child, grumbled and crossed his arms. 

“Baby, what did we say?” The mother scolded. 

“…Sorry for ruining your pants,” The boy looked at Seonghwa and sheepishly grinned. 

Seonghwa couldn’t help but to continue smiling back and ruffle the kid’s hair. As he started to look up outside the café’s large windows, he saw a man standing outside. 

The man had a camera held tightly in his hands. He had bright blue hair, almost like the color of steeped butterfly tea. He couldn’t help but to stare at the bright hair then quickly realized what he was doing. But he couldn’t stop himself and continued to look at the man across from him. Despite being outside the café, Seonghwa couldn’t help but to feel like the man was inside the café in front of him. The man had cat-like features, making him look like a stray cat waiting to be noticed. 

It made him wonder if he looked okay now. Seonghwa brushed his hair and fixed his shirt. 

He looked back at the man and tried to give a smile without making it too bright. 

The man continued to stare back. 

Seonghwa wondered if the man wasn’t looking at him as he got no response. Until the man hand let go of the camera and gave a small wave. He could feel his cheeks heat up and quickly turned around to the back to start cleaning up the plates. 

“Hwa- Seonghwa! Seonghwa hyung,” 

Seonghwa snapped to attention and stared confused at Yeosang.

“So you literally walked away from a guy like a chicken?” Yeosang was getting exacerbated with Seonghwa. 

“Hwa n-nervous!” 

“Oh, hyung,” Yeosang stepped closer to Seonghwa and gave a tight hug. “My nervous little bird.” 

“Bird? Hwa not!” 

“Okay birdy,” 

Seonghwa pouted but left it there. 

The two got ready and started the trek to work. The rain was still coming down, so they shared a large umbrella. They were lucky enough to live close by to the café they owned so they never needed to take any public transportation nor use their cars. 

“Ugh,” Yeosang groaned looking at the sky. It was starting to get darker again, the sun that appeared from afar was slowly dimming again. “I hate this rain.” 

“Hwa rai-rain okay!” 

“At least one of us is enjoying the rain,” 

“Hmm,” 

\---- 

“Yunho! I have an idea! A fucking idea! Ah!” Hongjoong screamed into his cell phone. He spun on his chair quickly and fell off landing on the floor, butt first. “An idea!” 

For weeks Hongjoong was in a slump and had no idea where to start for the recent project. The company was kind enough to give him a month to figure out the basics, but their patience was running thin. The blue-haired man was getting more nervous every day as Yunho and Wooyoung would call asking for any updates, and the company kept emailing him.

“ _Hyung! You have something?”_ Yunho gasped. Wooyoung heard what Yunho said and ran up to him to join the phone call.

“ _Hongjoong fucking hyung? You have something? Finally?”_ Wooyoung all but screamed into the phone. Hongjoong moved the phone father from his ear and grimaced. Yunho’s ear must have popped with Wooyoung’s screaming. 

“Yes I have an idea you dolphin!” 

“ _Shut up this dolphin has been waiting for eons!”_

“It was only 3 weeks, not 3 eons!” Hongjoong let his head hit the floor. 

“ _Well I’m happy for you hyung! You finally broke through your slump,”_

Yunho, of course he would be the nice one. That was why he was, at this current moment, his favorite friend. 

“ _How did you do it?”_ Yunho continued. He was getting curious. Mingi had told him that he tried to give Hongjoong advice but didn’t tell him what kind of advice. The tall man wondered if Mingi’s advice worked or if it was something else. 

“Lucky I guess?” 

“ _Well now hurry up finishing it! Jung Wooyoung and Jeong Yunho need to figure out the dance for it soon!”_

“Okay, okay. I’ll try you child,” 

Wooyoung blew a raspberry and Hongjoong could almost feel the younger male’s saliva land on his face. He shivered and was happy that he was nowhere near him. Though, Hongjoong realized briefly, Wooyoung could always just use the elevator and storm up to his room.

He hung up the phone and crawled back into his chair. A slow sigh released from his lips as he started to click through the music program.

Hongjoong had an idea. But it seemed his mind kept wandering elsewhere. He closed his eyes and breathed in again. He could see the doll’s – the man’s- face vividly as if it were tattooed on his eyelids. It made him wonder why he was smiling like the night stars before he saw him. How would it look if that same bright smile was directed to him?

Without even thinking, Hongjoong slapped his cheeks hard and the sound echoed in his room. 

“Oh. My. God. Kim Hongjoong! Snap out of it! You don’t even know that doll! Person! Thing! Human! Fuck!” 

It seemed like a good time to slam his head against the keyboard again as he had a rapid-fire dilemma inside of him.

“Get your shit together and start thinking,” Hongjoong moved his chair closer to the screen and started to click away. He tried to keep thoughts about the man behind his work as time ticked by.

_ 11:07  _

\---

“Hyungggg~” Wooyoung slammed the café’s doors open and startled a few customers. His rain boots squeaked as he walked closer to Seonghwa with a bounce in his steps.

“Woo!” Seonghwa whispered, not wanting his voice to travel past the counter. He washed his hands and walked around the counter to get closer to Wooyoung. He could see some of the weight on his shoulders dissipated. “Better?” 

“Yes! Much better! That stupid blueberry finally got an idea!” Wooyoung posed dramatically in front of him. “I thought I would die before getting any progress!” 

“Hwa h-h-happy, Woo h-happy!” 

“Yes, Woo is happy so Hwa shall be happy with me!” Wooyoung grabbed Seonghwa’s hands and spun him around, completely forgetting they were not alone. The regulars at the café were used to their antics. Wooyoung would always slam into his shifts with some new fact of the day about work or a post online. Seonghwa would then answer him back and Wooyoung would start dancing with him. Yeosang sometimes joined in but often would record them. 

Today was one of those day’s Yeosang had his phone camera ready and recorded the whole little dance between the two men. 

Seonghwa laughed alongside Wooyoung and continued their little dance for another minute. 

“Does San know about it?” Yeosang bumped shoulders with Wooyoung. 

“Ah! I forgot to call him! I’ll be in the back!” Wooyoung like a passing storm briskly walked to the back of the café. 

“He left a puddle of water…” Yeosang sighed and went to get a mop to clean up the mess Wooyoung left behind. The energetic man had most likely forgot to bring an umbrella as he came into the café drenched. The rain wasn’t hard but his walk from his other work building was far enough to catch enough rain.

Seonghwa let Yeosang take care of the multiple puddles caused by Wooyoung. During the next free hours the café ran smoothly. Seonghwa and Yeosang were in the back preparing more pastries. Yeosang would periodically come to the front counter if Wooyoung asked for help. Wooyoung would be manning the counter and would greet everyone with more than the usual energy.

Yeosang was on break and decided to walk a few blocks to see Jongho. He wouldn’t usually verbally complain, but Seonghwa knew Yeosang was starting to miss the younger male. Yeosang was glued to his phone more the past few weeks with his teeth biting his thumbnail. 

Seonghwa replaced some of the displayed pastries with his freshly made ones. He looked up and saw a blue haired man from the distance again. 

It was the same man from yesterday. Automatically, he looked at the metal reflection from the case and checked if his light make up and hair looked okay after being in the back baking for hours. 

“Ah! It’s the stupid blueberry! Why is he here?!” Wooyoung exclaimed, pointing at the “blueberry” man who entered the café. 

Said blueberry man closed his umbrella outside and brushed his feet on the door mat. “Who are you calling blueberry? The hell? Why are you here?” 

“I work here part time!” He huffed. “You would know if you paid attention to what I say! But your stupid blueberry head clearly forgets everything I say unless Yunho tells you.”

“I do pay attention,” Hongjoong walked up to the counter and saw Seonghwa hiding behind the display case. 

They stared at each other. Hongjoong was finally able to see the doll’s face closer. Seeing the doll through a camera and a window yesterday did no justice to the doll. Today, he could see coral pink and a light dusting of shimmer framing his large eyes. The doll’s eyes glimmered with mirth and a hint of hesitation. He was looking at Hongjoong and Wooyoung, clearly amused with the interaction happening in front of him. 

“What do you want?” Wooyoung had his hand ready to punch in Hongjoong’s order. 

Seonghwa peered behind the display case again to get a better look at the man. This was the supposed blueberry Wooyoung complained about for weeks. He had assumed the man was someone much older with how Wooyoung explained how blueberry acted. But instead, in front of him, was a slightly shorter man who looked about the same age as him.

“Give me your strongest coffee. I’m going to need it”

“So... A large Americano with 3 extra shots. Okay a one-way ticket to a heart attack.” Wooyoung nodded and snickered at his own joke. “4.65. I gave you employee discount because I’d like that stupid song completed. Seonghwa hyung won’t mind.”

Hongjoong looked back at the doll as he nodded. He finally had a name for the doll. It was getting tiring to not have a name when thinking about the doll- Seonghwa.

Still staring at Seonghwa, he handed his credit card to Wooyoung who effortlessly finished the transaction.

“You can wait here or sit down in a seat. We’ll bring it to you because we aren’t too busy.”

“O-okay,” Hongjoong nodded at continued to keep eye contact at the doll, Seonghwa, until he had to turn around to find a seat. He decided to sit near the window in the corner. It had a love seat and a small individual couch with a round table to share. On the table were freshly cut flowers and a couple of pebbles as decorations.

He decided to sit on the loveseat father from the window. Hongjoong didn’t want to keep staring at Seonghwa in case it made him uncomfortable, but he couldn’t help but to take small glances at the man making his coffee. He could see the outline of his back move under the blue sweater.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Hongjoong took his phone out to check his messages and emails. Nothing important had been sent to him, unless one counted a discount for the pizza place down the road important.

_ 1:24 _

Hongjoong looked away from his phone and saw Seonghwa standing in front of him with his cup of coffee and a small plate. He was pretty sure he didn’t order anything else. 

“Thanks!” The blue haired man grinned and let Seonghwa place the cup in front of him. “You’re… Seonghwa right? Wooyoung said your name and I didn’t want to assume it was you.”

The doll, now confirmed Seonghwa, nodded. He looked at Hongjoong, expectantly waiting for more to be said.

“A-ah… I’m assuming you’re asking for my name? I’m pretty sure Wooyoung had said my name while bitching about me.”

Seonghwa laughed using his right hand to cover his face and nodded

“Doll, you look pretty when you laugh you don’t need to cover it!” Hongjoong said without thought. The words just came out of him and when he realized what he said, he could feel his ears burning. “I-I-I mean! My name is Hongjoong!”

The black haired man blinked, clearly not expected that comment and blushed equally as red. 

“Aish… I kind of messed up,” Hongjoong rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. Seonghwa shook his head and pushed the plate closer to him. “You’re saying I didn’t?”

Seonghwa nodded and pushed the plate even closer.

“Okay, okay!” He smiled and looked at the plate. On top was a freshly baked scone with blueberries. The top had caramelized sugar and a small chocolate piece that had the café’s name written on it. “Wow! It looks really good.”

The taller male smiled with satisfaction and continued to stand in front of him. Hongjoong noticed he wasn’t moving any time soon and patted at the spot next to him. “Come! Sit down with me if you are going to watch me eat this.”

Seonghwa gasped and hid his head behind the tray. He slowly inched towards the said spot and gingerly sat down next to him as if the seat were made of glass. Hongjoong was pleased that Seonghwa had sat down next to him. He was moderately afraid the man would shake his head a no.

Picking up the scone, Hongjoong could feel his mouth watering. It smelled even better once next to his nose. He took a bite and had to cover his mouth to stop a moan from leaving. “Good! Woah, Seonghwa! Did you make this?”

The baker nodded then pointed at the scone then his head, made a scrunched up face of someone thinking and pointed back to Hongjoong.

Hongjoong wondered why Seonghwa didn’t speak but he was able to grasp a general idea of what Seonghwa tried to say. “You thought really hard on what to give me? You shouldn’t have. But thank you. I love it!”

Seonghwa shrugged and only gave another small smile. He saw Wooyoung walking back from the kitchen area and quickly got up. He gave Hongjoong a brief wave and walked back to the counter.

It almost felt like the interaction between the two was a fever dream for the both of them.

Instead of going back, Hongjoong decided to stay at the café for the rest of the afternoon with his laptop and headphones. Mid-way as he felt his back aching, he changed tables closer to the counter. Seonghwa noticed the change in locations and helped bring his coffee to the table.

The rest of the afternoon blended seamlessly as more customers came in and Seonghwa got busy again with making drinks and checking on the oven.

Hongjoong would periodically go up to the counter and order another drink. Seonghwa would run to the machines to make the drink instead of Wooyoung and Yeosang. The two would look at each other with a knowing smirk and let Seonghwa fumble around and walk to Hongjoong like a lost chick.

At one-point Hongjoong managed to muster up more courage and asked Seonghwa to sit next to him to hear a snippet of what he was making.

“H..how is it?” He asked, waiting expectantly for a negative review.

Seonghwa hummed and pressed the replay button with the mouse pad. Hongjoong nervously drank as coffee and he saw the doll let his body slowly sway to the music. Once the music stopped again, Seonghwa looked at the screen and opened a document to start typing on.

_ “I love it!” _

The rain behind them had finally stopped and behind the clouds the sun slowly warming up the ground once more. All that was left behind was puddles on the concrete and children’s giggling traveling through the air as they jumped in the puddles. Hongjoong felt like the grass outside that was finally given sunlight after hours upon hours of rain.

_ ~End of Chapter 3 ~  _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To keep it consistent: Yeosang calls Seonghwa >Seonghwa, Seonghwa Hyung, Hwa, and Hwa Hyung while Woosan calls him Seonghwa Hyung or Hwa. I tried to base how they would call him by their personalities and history with him. 
> 
> I will try to upload every week because I am starting classes again! I'm so invested in the story, I want to type more but unfortunately I need to focus on my studies. :'( this will be a post study treat for me <3


	4. Kimbap, Doll, and a cute Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are being cute as per usual.
> 
> Aka I have no idea how editing made it become 5k of words.

Chapter 4

It was just a few minutes before the café was going to close. Hongjoong slowly packed his laptop into his bag. He took multiple small pauses, trying to make a face to express deep thought in order to peer to his side. He wanted to look at Seonghwa a few more times before leaving. The taller male seemed to not notice the small glances as he continued to work.

In truth, Seonghwa had notice Hongjoong’s eyes following his movement. He initially thought it was all in his head and continued to organize the seating area. It wasn’t until he looked back to the seated man when he noticed Hongjoong whip his head down.

He couldn’t help but to hide his smile behind the tray. Seonghwa didn’t want to let the man know he was staring back at him throughout his shift.

While the two kept doing a staring contest, Yeosang and Wooyoung watched them do the same antics.

Wooyoung had been the first one to notice as Yeosang wasn’t at the café for the first hour. He had gotten bored of playing rhythm games and decided to stare at Hongjoong. It was strange to see him not go to his usual places. The company building was close by but not a lot of employees stopped at the small café. It usually consistent more of couples, students, and random people who found the café.

Hongjoong looked put together, more than usual. Wooyoung learned onto his palm and squinted. He swore he saw hints of rushed make up on the man’s lips and eyes. He knew Hongjoong would at least try to keep himself look put together but never pulled out any makeup unless he was meeting someone important or on a good day.

Was today a good day? The dancer contemplated. He was sure Seonghwa and Hongjoong never met before today.

Seonghwa always told them everything.

He saw Hongjoong look up again at Seonghwa and the man’s eyes glimmered. There was something soft and warm coming from the man’s gaze like a fresh sweater. Perhaps something closer to a child’s wonder and fascination with the world. Wooyoung never seen that expression on him, not even when making music. A moment later, Seonghwa looked back at the blue-haired man with the same expression.

Wooyoung almost slipped off the counter.

That too was a new expression on Seonghwa. The older man usually used a variety of facial expressions to supplement what he would say. The closest to that expression was when Seonghwa finally figured out how to perfect a complicated recipe. Even then it barely had the same energy.

Once Yeosang finally arrived, Wooyoung dragged the man to the back and told him everything.

Initially, Yeosang did his subtle laughter at Wooyoung’s statements and simply answered it was all in his head.

“Yeosang! It’s not in my head!” Wooyoung had to hold his voice in order to not alert Seonghwa.

“Wooyoung, you know Seonghwa doesn’t act like that!” That was a lie, Yeosang had seen Seonghwa act similarly to what Wooyoung said. But he never acted upon it instead opted to sit from afar and watch.

“I have photos! You know! Physical proof! Of Seonghwa sitting down next to him to all those side glances!” The man waved his phone in front of Yeosang’s eyes. All he could see was the bright phone light blinding his eyes and swatted the hand away.

“Even then…” Yeosang started, “Who says your photos shows anything? They look blurry!”

“W-what? No they don’t!”

It wasn’t until he watched the same interactions happening, he started to believe Wooyoung’s words. Even Yeosang, Seonghwa’s best friend from diapers, never seen Seonghwa act so forward and flirty.

Yeosang was, to keep it simple, amused at a new sight but felt a strange feeling tugging at his chest. Every time the same feeling bubbled up, Yeosang would shove the feeling down and ignore it. He continued to let the afternoon pass with letting Seonghwa follow the new man like a lost baby chick. 

The blue-haired man finally left the café with a wave, leaving the three alone in the café.

Within a blink of an eye, Yeosang and Wooyoung locked the café door and dragged Seonghwa behind the counter.

“Hyung! Seonghwa hyung!” Wooyoung explained. “Explain! I need answers!”

Yeosang nodded and decided to add in. He could see Seonghwa’s face looking blank, unable to process what was Wooyoung energetically asking him. “Do you actually know that man?”

Seonghwa only blinked and smiled.

“Seonghwa hyung we know you’re ignoring us,” Yeosang brushed his brown hair back and signed. “You’re not going to tell us anything huh?”

“Sangie s-smart!” Seonghwa laughed and nodded. The other two stared closer at Seonghwa, they could see a hint of pink blooming on his cheeks.

While Seonghwa and Yeosang were talking, Wooyoung went outside with a broom to sweep the entrance. He had his phone in hand and typed Yunho’s number once out of Seonghwa’s view.

“ _Hello? Wooyoung?”_

“Yah! Yunho! I need you to do me a solid,” Wooyoung slowly brushed the ground to elongate the time outside.

_“What? I mean… I guess as long as it doesn’t involve murdering Hongjoong hyung?”_

“It involves him! But not murder! I need you to find out if Hongjoong hyung met my hyung!”

“ _Hyung? Wooyoung, I don’t get what you’re saying,”_

“Just ask Mingi or something! That tree always finds out everything even if he doesn’t try!”

“ _Woo- I still need more information!”_ Yunho tried to push for more.

“Oh shit!” Wooyoung could see Seonghwa walking towards the door. “Bye! Tell me later!”

“ _H-he-“_

Wooyoung opened the door back inside the café and sheepishly grinned at Seonghwa who had his hands on his hips. “Oh hyung~ I was just cleaning the outside! You know? Like a good worker!”

“Woo never o-out-s-side!” An eyebrow rose in response to Wooyoung’s hasty greeting.

“Of course I do,” The younger male pouted, “You just never see me be amazing at it!”

“Hm…” Wooyoung nervously chucked as it was evident by Seonghwa still staring at him that he had some doubts. He could see in the corner of his eye San was approaching the café. “Oh damn! Look at the time! San is already here to pick me up! Better get ready!”

Wooyoung skidded around Seonghwa to enter the backroom where all their personal belongings were locked up. Seonghwa opened the door for San and let the man in. San was still wearing the same pants, or maybe it was the many duplicates he owned, with a light gray rain jacket. In one hand he held a large shareable umbrella, most likely for Wooyoung who had forgotten his own. However the rain let out and the sun was shining brightly through the clouds.

“Seonghwa hyung! Looking good,” San aimed with his free hand’s pointer finger and whispered, “Bang bang.”

Seonghwa lightly slapped San’s back and laughed. A black-haired blur passed him as he let San walk back towards the backroom. The said blur grabbed San and let out a scream.

“Bye hyung! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Wooyoung didn’t pause for a moment to let San say his goodbyes like a man on a mission.

\---

Yunho stared at his phone as it blinked the length of the phone call. He didn’t expect Wooyoung to call him and initially thought it was about the dance or to rant about Hongjoong. Instead, he got a vague phone call about Hongjoong. He had gotten the subject of the call correct but the topic was completely different.

He had no idea who this “hyung” was that Wooyoung was talking about. It could be anyone especially with Wooyoung’s love to talk to people.

“Mingi is here!” The ocean haired man opened the door to their shared apartment. In one hand was a plastic bag full of food from the restaurant down the block and the other was his phone waving in the air. “Yunho, you have to see my new photos Hongjoong hyung did for me!”

“Hongjoong?” Yunho said. He was still pondering over what Wooyoung briefly told him. He managed to catch a few words. Ask the tree? Mingi was still standing in front of him with his eyes shining.

“Yes Hongjoong that hyung. You know he always takes my photos for me when you’re too busy,” Mingi showed his phone to Yunho. It was the one right when the tree’s branches shifted slightly where it hid his body just enough. His face and majority of his face was shown but parts were missing as if he was a mirage in the tree.

“Mingi. Baby, you know you look beautiful in every single photo,” Yunho brushed his fingers on Mingi’s jaw line and pecked his lips. The taller man was able to wax poems about Mingi for hours if asked -Hongjoong had to hear- and enjoyed doing so. He could feel Mingi’s cheeks warming up from his hand being left on his cheek.

“Of course!” Mingi beamed and let his head rest on Yunho’s hand. It felt like home whenever he felt Yunho’s hands brush against his own or his face. Any uncertainties forgotten for those brief moments. “You seemed a bit confused over hyung? What’s up my tall knight?”

Yunho smiled, remember their nickname from their childhood. The two had met when they were young, barely tall enough to see over the counter. Their mothers had been childhood friends who reconnected after years apart. It was by a stroke of luck that their mothers found out their moved into the same neighborhood after encountering each other at the local market.

Mingi was significantly shorter than him, almost half a head shorter. He thought Mingi always looked a little lost as a kid with his hair cut too long and his sweater a size too big.

“It’s for fat-hion!” Mingi explained, waving his long sleeves in Yunho’s face.

“You mean fas-hion?” Yunho snorted with his arms crossed.

“Yeah fat-hion!”

Yunho was about to continue trying to correct Mingi’s lack of knowledge with his, only by a few months, older knowledge when he heard a thud. He looked behind him and saw Mingi face first on the ground with his shoelaces tied together.

“Y-you forgot to untie that!” the taller boy gasped and kneeled next to Mingi.

“M-M-Minki,” He was trying to hold his breath in as he could feel fat tears rolling down his cut cheeks. “D-“ He hiccupped and felt the tears coming out faster. “Did not! F-f-for f-f-fat-hion.”

The taller boy signed and took off his orange book bag to check for his small first aid kit. The white box had a red plus sign with small writing next to it. _For Mingi! When hurt!_

“Okay Princess Mingi,” Yunho took out the antibacterial medication and bandages from the kit. “Going to put on your dress!”

“What! I’m not a princess!” Mingi exclaimed and almost shot up to stomp his feet until he remembered why he was on the floor. Instead he opted to cross his arms and turn his head to the side. His face creating the biggest pout he could muster while failing to hold back his tears.

“You called your self Mingi, like Princess Minki. So now you’re Princess Mingi,” 

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did. Not!”

“Then….” Yunho reasoned. “I can’t be your Tall knight then!”

Mingi looked at Yunho with eyes wide and grinned. He liked the idea of calling Yunho a knight even if that meant he had to be called a _Princess_ not a prince. Princess’ were for girls! Mingi finally knew topic better than Yunho. He could finally teach Yunho something for once! The smaller boy could only feel giddish as he let Yunho continue to call him Princess Mingi.

Years later they never let go of the same nicknames, instead kept it between themselves unlike their child selves who used to scream out of the nicknames at school.

“Has… Hongjoong hyung say anything to you about meeting Wooyoung’s hyung?”

“Wooyoung’s… hyung?” Mingi pursed his lips and hummed. A couple of moments later and many sounds of humming, he gasped. “Ah! I think he is talking about Seonghwa hyung! He is the best! Though he doesn’t talk to me. But he always gives me the biggest pieces and is really pretty!”

“Oh? Prettier than me?”

“No! No one is prettier than you!” Mingi panicked and was starting to flare his arms around to try to figure out what to say.

“I’m joking Mingi,” Yunho chuckled and lightly pushed him. He took the plastic bag out of Mingi’s hand and led them towards the kitchen to eat. They shared the sink as they washed their hands. It took longer than it should’ve as Mingi kept head butting Yunho to make him move. No words were needed as they set up dinner, the duo knew what to do. Yunho would organize the table while Mingi get the utensils and any items out of the fridge. They sat down across from each other with their feet interlocking under the table.

“So has Hongjoong hyung said anything to you?”

“Mm… Nah! But I told him something to help him out,” Mingi took another bite of the noodles.

“What did you tell him?”

“Uhh…” Mingi swallowed and let the fork rest on his lips. “You told me Hongjoong hyung has been in a little slump with the music.”

Yunho nodded. He recalled telling him a few days ago briefly to explain why he was home so early from work.

“So during my little photoshoot with him, I decided to give him some advice!”

“Oh~ Mingi giving advice,” Yunho teased.

“A-ah…” He blushed and ruffled the back of his head. “I told him to change up his routine a bit! Add something new.”

“Oh?”

“Oh~?”

Mingi and Yunho connected the dots and grinned together. They didn’t know when and how, but clearly Hongjoong had finally met someone who started to give him back his music.

\---

Yeosang flipped the sign on the café’s door. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the day’s work starting to gather up in his joints.

“Seonghwa! Are you ready?” Yeosang called out to the back. Seonghwa was still behind getting his personal belongs packed up.

“Hwa~ re-read-dy!” The taller man came out of the backroom with his bag, jacket, and umbrella balancing in one hand. Yeosang went up to him to take something off his hands before everything fell on the floor.

“You clumsy birdie,” He teased as he helped Seonghwa put on his jacket. Seonghwa only laughed as his arms continued to mess up with the sleeves. He too was extremely tired and was struggling to do simple tasks. All day they were tempted to take a nap on the couch.

Seonghwa turned off all the lights and briefly scanned the café’s interior. Everything seemed to look in place with nothing left on. They exited the café’s door after triple checking everything inside. Seonghwa with the keys turned around to lock the café’s entrance.

The walk back home was uneventful besides Seonghwa chasing after a cat then Yeosang joining in after saying it was a stupid idea. All Seonghwa needed to do was stare at Yeosang with the biggest pout he could muster up.

Yeosang had to leave after arriving to their apartment. Jongho finally had a free evening, which was rare for him. The couple had briefly seen each other in the afternood during Yeosang’s lunch break. However, it was cut short as Jongho’s schedule rapidly had to change. Seonghwa immediately pushed Yeosang out of the apartment once Yeosang asked him if he would be fine alone for the night.

“Hwa hwa o-okay!” Seonghwa gritted his teeth as he shoved Yeosang out the doors.

“Are you sure? Seonghwa! Wait- let me talk-“ Yeosang pushed back but Seonghwa managed to lock his feet behind the door giving him leverage. “Call Wooyoung or S-“ He almost tripped. “San!”

“O-okay!”

“Wait, no I should stay,”

“No! G-g-go! Sangie!”

Yeosang gave up and let Seonghwa push him the remainder the hallway.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“B-bye bye!” Seonghwa chirped and saw Yeosang walk down the stairs with a jump in his steps to his car.

Seonghwa was left alone, watching Yeosang enter his car with a blinding smile. Yeosang looked up and Seonghwa quickly mimicked the smile back to reassure he would be okay. The car backed up out of the complex and quickly drove away.

He felt his smile drop and his fingers starting to pick at his sweater. Seonghwa knew he should call someone to come over or to at least lo keep him company on the phone. But he didn’t want to bother Wooyoung or San again especially on their date night. The two would drop anything if he asked for company.

Wooyoung had been excited for the long-awaited day. San had been getting busier with main work and had been getting less shifts at the cafe.

He couldn’t bring himself to text them even though he was starting to feel anxious. The black-haired man shook his head and took a deep breath. In his head chanted _I can do this_ as he went back inside his apartment, alone.

Seonghwa turned on the lights with a sigh. He didn’t have anything planned out for dinner and was sure the kitchen was empty. There were no leftovers from yesterday’s get together because Yeosang and Wooyoung had a brief eating competition while San was the judge. He decided to go to the convenience store to pick up some food instead of grocery shopping to make something. Grocery shopping became a tomorrow issue.

He slowly, layer by layer, took of his clothes in his room and place them in the laundry hamper. The sweater was left on top of his desk for separate washing. Seonghwa looked at the mirror and quickly turned away after seeing a brief glance of his upper back. He started the water hot then slowly adjusted the temperature to a comfortable warm. The water was a pleasant treat after a long day at work.

The shampoo he used was the same since high school. A subtle lavender scent technically marketed for woman but Seonghwa didn’t care. It smelled nice and was able to be found easily even after moving. He lathered up the shampoo in his hair and hummed. If he were able to speak properly, Seonghwa mused, he would be singing the lyrics. Would he be a good singer? The man didn’t know. His mother had told him before when he was younger his voice was clear and was able to hold a note unlike his older brother.

He liked the pretend he could vividly remember how his singing sounded like but all in his memories was a sound close to white noise.

A few minutes later, Seonghwa came out of the shower feeling refreshed and a little less anxious

Seonghwa decided on wearing his yellow pants that Yeosang had screamed about was the most hideous thing since dying his hair orange, and a white shirt. The temperature was starting to drop and Seonghwa could feel the cool breeze coming from the open bathroom window. A plain oversized black hoodie was added on in case it got colder.

He closed the bathroom window as the air wasn’t foggy anymore and turned off all the lights as he walked to the door. The small LED clock gave the living room a small red shine. Seonghwa picked up his bag and put It on securely. He checked the pockets for his keys, wallet, and any miscellaneous items.

As he closed the door to his apartment, he took a long deep breath trying to prepare himself for a night alone. The last time he had been left behind, Yeosang swore it wouldn’t happen again. Nothing dramatic occurred but Seonghwa didn’t like being completely alone. The two were to busy to get a pet which would had alleviated the problem.

The walk to the convenience store was under 10 minutes. Seonghwa had waved to some of his neighbors and managed to find a cat to pet.

The convenience store was larger than most and carried multiple items Seonghwa liked to buy. He usually got the udon noodles or any sort of rolled kimbap with beef filling. Seonghwa looked at today’s selection and brightened. His favorite kimbap was still there- there was only one left. He reached out to grab it only for it be taken by someone else before him.

“A-ah….” Seonghwa whined and could feel his mood dampen.

“Doll? W-wait I mean Seonghwa!” The kimbap thief exclaimed.

“Hwa?”

Seonghwa looked at the kimbap thief and gasped. It was the pretty cat like customer, Hongjoong Seonghwa’s mind remembered, who Wooyoung always complained about. He couldn’t look at Hongjoong this close even when sitting next to him. He could see the shorter man’s dark brown eyes much clearer. There were small specks of lighter brown hidden, Seonghwa eyes were momentarily fixated on Hongjoong’s.

“You wanted this too?” Hongjoong lifted the kimbap higher up.

He nodded as his fingers fidgeted with each other. Like a light bulb turning on, Seonghwa took out his phone and opened his notes app. _‘It’s okay! You can have it.’_

“Oh Seonghwa, I can’t take this from you! You look too dejected!” Hongjoong put the kimbap in Seonghwa’s hand basket that was hanging from his arm.

‘ _No it’s really okay. Please take it, you grabbed it first! I can find something else._ ’ Seonghwa typed quickly, his fingers almost pressing the wrong keys. He grabbed the kimbap from his basket and attempted to put it back into Hongjoong’s hands.

“Doll I’m okay!” 

‘ _Doll?’_

“Aish I said it again didn’t I?” Hongjoong groaned. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole because he kept using the same nickname. It was the nickname he had for Seonghwa before he had a name for the doll -man.

 _‘It’s okay… I….”_ Seonghwa had to calm himself down before he started to feel a blush bloom on his cheeks. _‘You can… call me that if you want? Only if I can call you kitty though!’_

“Kitty? I mean sure? Wait a second! Why am I kitty? I don’t look like a cat!” Hongjoong gasped at his mistake with not quickly realizing what Seonghwa had typed.

 _‘Because you look like a kitty!’_ The taller man laughs sounded like soft bells to Hongjoong. He swore he could listen to the doll’s laugh for ages. ‘ _I like kittens too… They don’t let me pet them that often! But when I find one kitty nice enough, it makes my day so much better!’_

“I mean… “The blue-haired man could only sigh, “With that explanation I guess Kitty is fine Doll.”

_‘A wonderful peace treaty~ <3’ _

“That means I’m buying you your dinner!” Hongjoong grabbed a few more items for himself after taking Seonghwa’s hand basket from him. Seonghwa attempted to chase the man around the store but Hongjoong managed to avoid his reach every time. By the time Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong it was already too late, he had bought everything in the basket for him.

 _‘You shouldn’t have bought me anything!’_ Seonghwa pouted as Hongjoong gave him two bags full of food. ‘ _I can buy it myself you know!’_

“Well Doll I wanted too!” The man laughed wanting to poke Seonghwa’s cheeks as it puffed up. Seonghwa looked like a human version of the red angry bird. It was too much for him to bottle up and kept laughing.

‘ _Thanks….’_ Seonghwa showed his screen again with his face hidden behind the phone. He tried to pretend his quickly reddening face was able to be hid behind the phone. It was evident with Hongjoong’s cooing the red was spreading to his ears.

“No problem Doll,”

Seonghwa was finally able to look at Hongjoong without wanting to hide himself. The man was hiding most of his blue hair under a black baseball cap. Seonghwa liked the vivid blue on him. He was wearing a black hoodie with a logo printed on the sleeves with black jeans that had rips scattered near the knees. The taller male was able to start typing again when he saw a man a few feet from Hongjoong and froze. His eyes were shaking as he locked eye contact with the man.

Hongjoong noticed something was off about Seonghwa suddenly. He turned around to check if there was someone behind him but by the time he turned no one was there. “Seonghwa? Doll? Are you okay?”

It felt like a rock was thrown into his calm ocean, Seonghwa’s breathing was starting to get shallow.

“Doll? Seonghwa? Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa blinked and heard someone say his name multiple times. He realized Hongjoong was still standing next to him, watching with concerned eyes.

“Are you okay? Was someone there?”

‘ _I’m fine! I’m sorry. I just dazed out for a moment.’_

Seonghwa paused with his lips jutted out thinking and continued to type. ‘ _Thank you for the concern!’_

“Doll would you let me walk you back home? I think it’ll make me feel better to know you got back safe?”

The blue-haired man watching as multiple emotions flew past Seonghwa’s face. He silently chuckled as he could clearly see Seonghwa struggling to figure out what to say. Seonghwa decided to simply nod instead of typing out a response. He could feel his fingers turning into pudding and almost dropped his phone. That would’ve been a disaster trying to explain to Yeosang how he got his new phone cracked.

“I can carry your bags!” Hongjoong took the two bags into his hands before Seonghwa could protest he could do it himself. Hongjoong liked seeing Seonghwa’s eyes widen and eyebrows lowering with his lips pouting. The cheeks finished the picture of an agitated baby chick.

The slowly walked together towards the same direction. Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa briefly, he still couldn’t believe his eyes when seeing the man’s face. The dim streetlights brightened the doll’s face making it easier to see his features. Hongjoong could see the subtle blush dusting Seonghwa’s cheeks. Seonghwa noticed Hongjoong’s staring and tilted his head with a coy smile.

Seonghwa didn’t want this moment to end. It was peaceful with only the sounds of crickets playing in the background with sparce moments of a cat meowing. Whenever a cat would meow Seonghwa would judge Hongjoong and laugh. Hongjoong in response would hiss back at the cat or Seonghwa and pretend to swat him with his hands that was still carrying the bags.

They were near Seonghwa’s apartment when Hongjoong face lit up. “Doll… Do you live in this apartment complex?”

Seonghwa nodded.

“I live here too! How have we never seen each other?” the shorter male mused. “I mean both of our workplace is close by, so even never encountering each other on the streets is amazing!”

‘ _Maybe the schedule? Knowing Wooyoung, He probably told you where he lives. I live just a few doors from them.’_ Seonghwa took out his phone to respond. He had it in his pocket for the whole walk as no conversations started.

“I knew he lived in the same apartment complex as me! How do you know him?”

_‘College. We shared the same dorm.’_

“Oh man. Was he the same loud dolphin back then too? I can’t imagine being his roommate!”

 _‘It wasn’t too bad! He is really kind and San usually helped calm him down unless he joined in.’_ Seonghwa nodded quickly, wanting to show that Wooyoung was an amazing person. He wasn’t sure what Hongjoong’s stance was with him and hoped it wasn’t too bad.

“Yeah, Wooyoung is pretty kind.” Hongjoong said. He had no ill feeling for the younger male but hearing the same screaming voice on his phone gave him a bit of a headache. “Really hard worker! Sometimes too hard though. On my good days, its sometimes is hard to keep up with his progress!”

Seonghwa could imagine it. Wooyoung, once he gets mind into it, would focus on his task like a steam roller. Nothing could stop him from finishing his goal, not even San. During college his ability to focus aided him to graduate with high marks despite his love of procrastinating.

_‘I’m glad you like Woo.’_

“Only when he isn’t screaming at me,”

_‘Valid’_

They softly laughed as they entered the main entrance to the apartments. The guard, who was a tad confused seeing the two together, at the entrance said hello and let them past to the elevators.

“I’m on floor 4… If you need to find me… apartment 407,” Hongjoong pressed the button for his floor. He shifted between his feet feeling disappointed that the trek to their apartment complex was shorter then expected.

‘ _Floor 6. 603.’_ Seonghwa answered and Hongjoong pressed the 6th floor button.

They continued their small talk as the elevator went up to stop at the fourth floor. Hongjoong gave back the bags and looked at Seonghwa as he hesitated to walked through the elevator door. He stared at the dark brown eyes pretending time could stop. “I’ll…. See you later?”

Seonghwa lips lifted and he gave one firm nod. Hongjoong gave a thumbs up as the doors started to close on him. Right as the door closed, both men let out a held back breath.

Hongjoong couldn’t believe he was able to see Seonghwa again after leaving the café. He had no idea someone so ethereal lived close to him. Nor did he have any idea how he managed to muster up so much courage to take Seonghwa’s hand basket and buy his dinner. He was about to hit his head on the wall as he felt too afraid it was forward and rude. Hongjoong felt like he has been wanting to slam his head onto something more often than usual. At that moment it felt right to take the basket to buy Seonghwa’s food.

However, he didn’t regret doing it as he got to see Seonghwa cheeks puff up and eyes glimmer with curiosity.

Hongjoong wondered how much brighter those eyes could become.

~ _End of Chapter 4 ~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Studying indeed depletes my small brain cell of any energy.


End file.
